Smith Art Gallery & Museum | Details | Ceremonial canoe paddle

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Actions Displays	Ceremonial canoe paddle Remove from selection Add to selection Reproduction Download mediaDownload as zip file Object number06149.01 TitleCeremonial canoe paddle CreatorIgbo people DescriptionThis beautifully carved paddle was made by the Igbo people from south eastern Nigeria. It was most likely intended for ceremonial use, given the time and care that went into its design and making. It has a sharply pointed, spear-shaped blade at one end which has been decorated on both sides with a range of intricate, geometric patterns: zig zags, lines and hatches. The handle of the paddle is shaped like a crocodile – the West African crocodile, also known as the sacred crocodile, smaller than its cousin from the Nile. The Igbo people were traditionally mostly farmers, traders and craftsmen. Archaeological excavations have revealed exquisite bronze artefacts made using metals that came from north Africa, evidence that the Igbo were trading across the Sahara long before the Europeans first arrived on their shores. For the people living around the Niger Delta, water has always been a vital part of life, used for trade and communication, and of great cultural importance. The crocodile which forms the decorative handle of this ceremonial paddle reflects the regard that the Igbo have for these river creatures. Animals are considered sacred in parts of Africa where nature is revered, their motifs appearing on both two- and three-dimensional art forms. Production placeAfrica (West) Nigeria Object nameCanoe paddle MaterialWood Dimensions Length: 1520 mm

Reproduction

Download mediaDownload as zip file

Object number06149.01

TitleCeremonial canoe paddle

DescriptionThis beautifully carved paddle was made by the Igbo people from south eastern Nigeria. It was most likely intended for ceremonial use, given the time and care that went into its design and making. It has a sharply pointed, spear-shaped blade at one end which has been decorated on both sides with a range of intricate, geometric patterns: zig zags, lines and hatches. The handle of the paddle is shaped like a crocodile – the West African crocodile, also known as the sacred crocodile, smaller than its cousin from the Nile. The Igbo people were traditionally mostly farmers, traders and craftsmen. Archaeological excavations have revealed exquisite bronze artefacts made using metals that came from north Africa, evidence that the Igbo were trading across the Sahara long before the Europeans first arrived on their shores. For the people living around the Niger Delta, water has always been a vital part of life, used for trade and communication, and of great cultural importance. The crocodile which forms the decorative handle of this ceremonial paddle reflects the regard that the Igbo have for these river creatures. Animals are considered sacred in parts of Africa where nature is revered, their motifs appearing on both two- and three-dimensional art forms.

Production placeAfrica (West) Nigeria

Object nameCanoe paddle

MaterialWood

Dimensions

Length: 1520 mm